It has long been speculated that Whitley's death may not have been directly caused by his recklessness or alcoholism, but that he may have been a victim of premeditated misconduct. 3:23 pm. Patsy Cline became more wildly popular after her deathdoesnt change her status. alcoholism is just that, the alcohol takes over and the person isnt able to control the impulsive behavior. I have plenty of folks who can verify my stories, all well known recording artist. Thank you so much for writing such a great article!! I liked a lot of his songs, but was never a super fan. Over the years many people have asked me why I had never called people and corrected them in various articles over the years concerning Keiths early history and some of my interesting and fun storys while I was shopping our tape around Nashviile. Had he not died in 1989 from alcohol poisoning, the "Don't Close Your Eyes" singer would have turned 66 this year . You are so fortunate to have seen Keith live. His debut album was undoubtedly his breakthrough and spawned . Their story would make a great movie. Most states require a written request for the autopsy report. His influence on a long line of country artists is undeniable. It would be one of many close calls for Whitley, including driving his own car off a 120-foot cliff and into a frozen river, walking away that time with a broken collar bone, lucky to be alive. His vocals matured so much from the LA to Miami album to Dont Close Your Eyes. 12:51 am. He had the love of a good woman, a gift from God in his singing, fame, money and children and still it wasnt enough to be able to over come. It shows in four different places his year of birth being 1954. We loved him then, we love you now, we will always love you for you Keith. With Keith that wasnt the case. Dont know how true this is but I always heard Lorrie was told by a dr to not leave Keiths side. I got chills reading the card. Friends and I saw Lorrie Morgan in concert when she and Merle Haggard opened for Clint Black. It was like a ticking timebomb, Lorrie Morgan recalls. His wife, fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan, had recently left for a show in Alaska. The autopsy findings. Editors notes: Country History X primarily lives here on Saving Country Music, on YouTube (see below and subscribe), and is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and Anchor. Palmer stated when he came into Keiths bedroom, Keith was alone, fully clothed and still alive. You are sooooo right. who is Keith Whitleys son? On the morning of Tuesday, May 9th, 1989, Keith Whitley spoke to his mother briefly on the phone, and then was visited by his brother-in-law Lane Palmer at his home in Goodletsville, Tennessee, near Nashville. But anyway thanks for the audio entertainment all the guns up. It felt sacrilegious that Merle was the first opener. I was on pins and needles when he was on the road. unquote.Lorrie Morgan was very much a daughter of country music, who would end up blossoming into a wife and a mother of the genre as well. Trigger, But bottom line, he was an addict. Healthline states that having an alcohol concentration of 0.40 or higher may cause coma or death. The detective handling the case also said that he had a large quantity of alcohol the previous night. King Honky Of Crackershire In response to an above comment, putting Whitley in the HoF wouldnt be because of a what if. The guy had plenty of massive hits, some of which have reached icon status, three classic albums to his name, and his relationship with artists such as Ricky Skaggs leading up to his solo career impacted the country music landscape far more than any hit song or album could do. (As I wrote this, The Dance player in my mind, along with Im No Stranger to the Rain, Brotherly Love, I Wonder, Do You Think of Me, and some of Lorries songs. He died from a lethal ingestion of . I myself have been onstage with the biggest names in the business. What a waste. I have seen the birth certificate and passport that shows he was born in 1954. Thanks to you for the site and to the community who read and respond. He left the medical examiners post in 1994 after three separate women accused him of sexual harassment. I agree that Lanes account on what happened is very questionable/biased. Which he should of thought of anyway. To me, hes in the argument for prototypical ideal country baritone. Trigger You can handle it, Stanley would say to him. Small amounts of cocaine and Valium were also found in his system. Rest in peace and thank you for sharing your gift with us all , Keith Thats a fair response. Hearing rustling sounds inside, Jack McFadden didnt show any grave concern, and ultimately left the house. Good thoughts Wayne and I dont completely disagree with your stance. May 9, 2019 @ Tell Lorri I Love Her is so sweet and pure. But with Lorrie Morgan out of town that first weekend of May, 1989, there was nobody there to look after Whitley, or his raging alcoholism. I think Keith Whitley may be one of the biggest What-ifs in country music history. Thanks for your part in creating great live music venues. The police found 23 cans of empty Budweiser, an empty bottle of Scope, and four half consumed bottles of hair spray in the bedroom that Keith passed away. ), Diana Clark All I know is we lost a damn fine voice. https://www.reverbnation.com/mattengelsmusic/song/16287569-mr-whitley, jimincincy Trigger I know its not of utmost importance, but I wanted to point you to some information on Keiths real birthdate. Though hired as a guitarist, it was Whitleys singing that really made him stand out, and soon he was the lead vocalist for the Clinch Mountain Boys. Gay, West Virginia, and happened to walk into the club they were playing and was blown away. Both could be right, or both could be wrong. I came in and here is this article. Similarly, it does not directly state that she was reading it again or had previously read it. Whitley replaced pioneering flat picking guitarist Tony Rice in The New South, and ended up pushing the band in a more country and electric direction. Great podcast. A full transcript and sources for the story can be found below. . Didnt Garth say he was hesitant on accepting his nomination to the Hall because he believed Whitley should of been in before him? Just to clarify, are you say there is something in this story that needs to be revised, or just this portion of the story added, which I would be more than happy to do. Obviously Keiths addiction and death cut his career short. Why would Keith Whitley drink himself to death when his career was hitting its stride, and he had so much to live for? I was 15 when he died and I still listen to him and love his music. I like to think Keith would have been the leading force for traditional country music into the mid to late 90s with Strait, Jackson, and Travis. I didnt even know it. unquote. Im sorry for the loss of Mr. Whitley and I hope his family is well. Even as much as handcuffing herself to him at night so he couldnt sneak a drink or other things (like mouth wash). We. The whole family had a reckless streak. All of this information only helped to fuel conspiracy theories about the circumstances surrounding Whitleys passing. 1 hits, and it seemed like his music career was right on track. back in 1976 and that is where Keith and I first met when he was fronting J.D. Ralph Stanley recruited both of them for his band right then and there. TXMUSICJIM May 8, 2019 @ Keith was from Sandy Hook, KY. Its there that the statue of him resides. Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. May 7, 2021 @ dying inhalating hair spray is the definitive 80s way to die. jimincincy Gay, West Virginia, and happened to walk into the club where they were playing. A great artist one cannot doubt. May 10, 2019 @ May 16, 2019 @ May 8, 2019 @ Country music stars including Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, among others, performed Whitley's songs to a packed audience at the CMA Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. with the autopsy findings:r and in fact do not support a hanging diagnosis. I wouldnt publish a statement of fact based on an inference from an article. Keiths manager Jack also stopped by keiths house sometime that morning and said keiths Bedroom door was locked and he could hear rustling sounds from inside but couldnt him to respond so he left. He was considered country musics next superstar. The level Whitley had in his system was five times the intoxication limit in Tennessee at that time. Lorrie did record a succession of singles in 1979, including one as a posthumous duet with her father, and she recorded a couple of more singles in 1984 too, but nothing that fared well commercially. But in the aftermath of Keith Whitleys death, rumors swirled about the circumstances, some of which have continued to linger in popular lore to this day. Though Whitley had cleaned up in 1987 after numerous close calls from drinking to excess, the sobriety lasted about six months before he fell back off the wagon once again, which could not have been a surprise to anyone. Ive learned to respect a lot of what Garth has to say. He was Keith & Lorries son. May you rise each day with sunlight in your heart, success in your path, answers to your prayers, and that smile that I always love to see in your eyes. You are 100% correct! He was just so wildly talented. My view was coming from a different world conducting investigations with civil and/or criminal implications. I hope his soul is at peace. The couple had a baby in June of 1987 named Jesse Keith Whitley, and Whitley also officially adopted Lorries daughter from her first marriage. Will this tribute to Keith ever be televised?? Stanley would say to him, quote, You can handle it. And by the way, his version of I never go around mirrors is absolutely stunning. 56 0 obj <> endobj The 49-year-old entrepreneur from Pulaski, Tenn., was arrested for first-degree murder in 2001, in connection with the death of his cousin, Stevie Hobbs. Keith Whitley, who battled a drinking problem while becoming one of the brightest young stars in country music, was found dead at his home here Tuesday of accidental acute alcohol poisoning,. The question I have is What if through one way or another had Lane managed to resuscitate Keith to a point where he be transported by an ambulance to the hospital?, Ronald Stoner Two children Charles Harlan had determined had died of SIDS were later discovered to have been murdered by their parents. Then Keiths 1988 record Dont Close Your Eyes set him on the path to downright superstardom, landing him his first #1 hit with the title track, which would set off a succession of five straight #1 songs from Whitley. Now, I do believe he would have a leading force. Jesse Keith Whitley, Morgan and Jackie Keith Whitley's son, followed in his parents' footsteps and is a singer-songwriter. Some fans of Keith Whitley and conspiracy theorists have used the discredited legacy of Charles Harlan to wonder just how accurate the autopsy of Keith Whitley was, and if another cause of death could be possible. endstream endobj startxref Once amid his sober streak in 1987, Whitley said in an interview, quote, It was a matter of life and death. Ricky Skaggs, who Vince Gill had been in a band with in Kentucky in the late 70s called Boone Creek, sang harmonies on the studio version of Go Rest High on That Mountain that was released in 1994. When You Say Nothing at All, Im No Stranger to the Rain & Dont Close Your Eyes were also amazing vocals from that album. The only person responsible for an addict is an addict. Once when riding passenger in a car and passing a bottle back and forth with the driver, they tried to take a sharp curve at 120 mph. May 9, 2019 @ Another song on that album, Its All Coming Back to Me Now was in the same class as far stunning vocals. The cause of death for Keith Whitley was officially ruled alcohol poisoning by local medical examiner Charles Harlan on May 10tha day after Whitley's death. But that shouldnt be the main reason for ones electability into the HOF. if that is the criteria, then they better go back and assimilate a list of artists that would be candidates based on what they could have accomplished. Keith Whitley was only 34 years old.The next day, they lined Music Row in Nashville with black ribbons in remembrance. why sidereal astrology is wrong. 6:02 pm. Thanks for researching his actual birthdate. KWs consideration should be based upon him solely and not any relative factors such as others who have not made it in. The publishing of Keith Whitleys autopsy report put most of the rumors to bed, though they would re-emerge in subsequent years. To blame Lorrie for his alcoholism and accidental alcohol poisoning is cruel and preposterous. I had never seen the entire note that Keith gave to Lorrie that Sunday afternoon he drove her to the airport. But just about the time everything would begin to unravel for Keith Whitley due to his drinking, he would hold it together just enough to pull through. I knew all this going into the relationship. Sad as it was to read the news about Hal Ketchums health and Charlie Robisons retirement, its good to have a site to catch that news without a lot of extraneous filler to weed through, and no click-bait 40-slide/page dragging out a story. Jones had his ups and downs over a long life, but was clearly a survivor He admitted his problem in an interview, wherein he said, "It was a matter of life and death. Crowe before moving to Nashville in 1983 where he would soon sign a record deal with RCA, in part due to the attention hed earned in The New South, and the success Music Row was having with fellow Kentuckian Ricky Skaggs as an emerging solo artist. 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